Date of Award

Spring 1990

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology

Committee Director

Neill Watson

Committee Member

Janis Sanchez-Hucles

Committee Member

Glenn Shean

Committee Member

Donald Kiesler

Committee Member

Janet Finch

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to conduct an empirical investigation of parallel process. The study used a cross-sectional design in which 30 therapy relationships and the corresponding supervision relationships were studied. The therapist assessed the behavior manifested by the patient during a targeted therapy session. Following the subsequent supervision session, the supervisor assessed the behavior manifested by the supervisee during the supervision session. In addition, each of the triad participants (patient, therapist, supervisor) rated the level of anxiety they experienced during the targeted therapy and supervision sessions. Measures of interpersonal style for each of the subjects were also obtained.

Correlations were computed between each therapy relationship and the corresponding supervision relationship. The correlations were formed by pairing the therapist's rating of the patient's behavior during the targeted therapy session with the supervisor's rating of the supervisee's behavior during the targeted supervision session.

In 67 percent of the triads the Pearson product-moment correlations were significant. Across all triads, 20 percent of the variation in the patient's behavior during the targeted therapy session could be accounted for by the variation in the supervisee's behavior during the targeted supervision session.

Regression analyses were used to investigate conditions which might facilitate the occurrence of parallel process. No relationship was found between the level of anxiety experienced by the subjects during the targeted sessions and the occurrence of parallel process. The level of complementarity, as derived by the pairings in interpersonal styles between the participants in each relationship, also failed to predict the occurrence of parallel process.

The results of a two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures indicated that the behavioral profile obtained by patients was similar to the profile obtained by supervisees. The finding suggested that helpees, whether patients or supervisees, tended to manifest similar behaviors. It was concluded that the occurrence of parallel process may be due to the similarity in role relationship between the patient and therapist in therapy and the supervisee and supervisor in supervision.

Comments

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculties of The College of William and Mary, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology through the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology.

Rights

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DOI

10.25777/cj94-av98

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